Croydon Tram derailment inquest commences

Andrew Ritchie QC and James Byrne instructed by Osbornes Law, and Giles Mooney QC instructed by Furley Page, between them represent all seven families of those who died in the Croydon Tram derailment in 2016 in a 12 week inquest starting on 17 May 2021.

The inquest will bring out the facts as to why TOL, the tram operating company, and TfL had no adequate risk assessments, speed signs and fatigue policies to counteract predictable human failings by tram drivers working early shifts.

Alfred Dorris fell asleep at the controls, or lost understanding of which direction he was travelling, as he approached the sharpest bend on the track.  He was going far too fast, as the Rail Accident Investigation Bureau reported in 2018, and rolled off the track at the bend. There were no speed signs at the track side to remind Dorris where to brake.

The families seek a full and fearless inquest and the public seek reassurance that such failings as Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner and the Jury may determine will never be repeated.